All Tile Bluetooth Trackers Review

If I were to recommend one Bluetooth tracker company above all the rest, it would have to be Tile. I’m not saying that just because something is popular automatically makes it good, but I am saying that with 80% of the U.S market share, Tile has to be doing something right. They’ve sold over 20 million trackers in more than 230 countries, and every single day, Tile trackers are used on three million items. But with so many options, which Tile tracker is right for you?

In this review, I’m comparing the Tile Mate, the Tile Slim, the Tile Pro, the Tile Style, and the Tile Sport. Please note that the Tile Style and Tile Sport are no longer available on the Tile website, but they are available from Amazon and other third-party retailers. I’m going to go over the trackers’ design, features, and the Tile app. Ready, set, go!

Don’t you just want to eat the Tile trackers up? They’re all small, rounded squares with keyring holes, save for the Tile Slim, intended to go in your wallet. All of the trackers have a nice, simple look, but my personal favorite is the Tile Style. The gold accents are great for that extra zhuzh. The slimmest tracker is the Tile Slim, hence the name. If you’re looking for something lightweight, the Tile Mate is only seven grams.

All Tile Design

Temperature Ranges

Like I said, all of the Tile trackers will work in temperatures from 14 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, maybe this is just because I’m writing this review in the dead of winter, but 14 degrees does not seem cold enough to me. Just a few days ago it was six degrees out- six! Still, you may not care about this if you’re lucky enough to live in a warm climate, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.

Durability

Now let’s talk durability. While I hope my tracker isn’t covered in debris, knowing me this is a real possibility. That’s why I always look at a tracker’s IP rating. IP ratings determine how protected an item is from both solids and liquids. While the rating’s first number applies to solids, the second number applies to liquids.

Gabe Holding the Tile Pros

The least protected trackers are the Tile Mate and Tile Pro, with IP ratings of 55. Still, they’re dust-protected and could handle water from a 6.3mm nozzle, so that’s pretty good. Next is the Tile Slim at 57, also dust-protected but able to handle immersion in up to one mm of water. Impressive.

But by far the most durable Tile trackers are the Tile Style and the Tile Sport. With IP ratings of 68, they are dust-tight and can be completely immersed in water. In fact, they’re hermetically sealed, which makes them as durable as humanely possible. Throw them in mud, douse them in water, sprinkle them with salt— the Tile Style and the Tile Sport aren’t stopping for anything (unless their batteries die— which brings me to my next point).

Batteries

Another thing to keep in mind are the tracker’s batteries. While the Tile Mate and Tile Pro have replaceable batteries with a one-year life, the Tile Style, Tile Slim and Tile Sport have non-replaceable batteries. That means that after the battery runs out in a year, your tracker is completely useless, clearly a huge drawback. Keep in mind that Tile’s reTile program will give you discounted prices on replacements, but this is still a bit of a hassle and not the most cost-effective solution in the world.

Sirens

All of Tile’s trackers come with built-in sirens which will help you find lost items. The quietest tracker is the Tile Slim, with an 82-decibel siren about as loud as a garbage disposal. Next is the Tile Style and the Tile Slim, with 98-decibel sirens as loud as handheld drills. The runner-up is the Tile Mate, with an 119-decibel siren as loud as an oxygen torch, but the Tile Pro takes the cake with an 128-decibel siren. That’s about as loud as a balloon popping or peak stadium crowd noise— pretty hard to miss, if you ask me.

Ranges

Tile Pro on Keys

Typically, Bluetooth trackers have ranges between 100 and 200. The Tile Slim has the shortest range at only 100 feet. The Tile Mate beats that by 50 feet, while the Tile Style and Sport have ranges of 200. But it’s the Tile Pro that goes above and beyond with a range of 300 feet, the largest range of any Bluetooth tracker I’ve reviewed.

Although all of Tile’s trackers differ when it comes to design, they offer the exact same features. Let me explain.

Community Find

Whatever tracker you choose, its range is limited. If your tracker lands outside of your range, your app will no longer be able to detect it. Is all hope lost?

Of course not, Negative Nancy! With any Tile Tracker, you’ll be apart of Community Find. Let’s say you lost your tracker in another state. Instead of crying about it, all you have to do is mark it as lost on your Tile app. From there, every single Tile app will be able to detect it, but only you’ll know of its location. Just sit back and wait for someone to stumble into your tracker’s range. Community Find is 100% anonymous and automatic, and it really only serves to expand your network. Given that Tile controls 80% of the U.S marketshare for Bluetooth trackers, you have the best chance of finding your tracker than with any other company. Sounds good to me!

Smart Platform Integrations

Amazon Alexa

All of the Tile trackers integrate with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, which is awesome if you’re already a part of either ecosystem. That means you can ask Alexa or Google to help you find your missing items, which is even easier than using your app. Ah, the beauty of modern technology!

Tile Premium

For even more awesome features, Tile offers an optional monthly subscription package. For $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, Tile Premium will get you:

Smart alerts: you’ll be alerted if you leave your house without your Tile tracker.

Free battery replacements: if you get the Tile Mate or Tile Pro, you can get battery replacements sent to you on the house.

Location history: track where your Tiles have been in the past 30 days.

Extended warranty: all of the trackers’ warranties will triple to three years.

Unlimited sharing: you’ll be able to add an unlimited amount of users to your account so your friends and family can help you find things.

Premium customer support: you’ll have access to an exclusive text line if you need help.

Keep in mind that one Tile Premium subscription covers all of your current and future Tiles, so it’s extremely cost-effective. Now, let’s move on to how you’ll communicate with your Tile, namely, the Tile app.

The Tile App

The Tile App

The Tile app is where you’ll find your missing items, access Community Find, see where you had your tracker last, and receive push notifications. If you get Tile Premium, it’s where you’ll add multiple users to your account, view your tracker’s location history, and contact the premium customer support line.

I’m glad to say that the Tile app has great reviews from both iPhone and Android users, with ratings of 4.5 and 4.2 from the Apple and Google Play stores, respectively.

“Fantastic device. Left my keys at the store and my phone told me the last place it saw them. I went back and stepped inside the store and they connected to my phone automatically and I could hear them ringing at the checkout counter,”

Clearly, Tile does Bluetooth trackers well, possibly better than any of its competitors. No matter which tracker you choose, you’ll get a great app, a large community network, and integrations with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. But one tracker definitely stands out above the others. Drumroll, please…

The Tile Pro is the clear winner in my book. It has the largest range and loudest siren of any of the trackers, plus a replaceable battery. While it’s $35, about five to $10 more than the others, I think it’s worth it for its superior design.

All Tile Price Comparison

If you’re still on the fence, I’ll make it even easier.

Pick the Tile Mate if You’d Like…

Most affordable option: the Tile Mate costs $25, $10 less than Tile’s most expensive tracker the Tile Pro.

Lightest: the Tile Mate is only seven grams, less than half of the weight of the Tile Pro and the Tile Sport trackers.

For more information, read our full review of the Tile Mate.

Pick the Tile Slim if You’d Like…

Slimmest: at only 2.4mm thick, the Tile Slim is perfect to keep in your wallet.

To learn more, read our review of the Tile Slim.

Pick the Tile Pro if You’d Like…

Largest range: with a range of 300 feet, the Tile Pro adds a hundred feet on to any previous Tile tracker’s range.

Loudest siren: the Pro’s siren is nine decibels louder than the Tile Mate and 30 more decibels louder than the Tile Slim.

Want more info? Check out our review of the Tile Pro.

Pick the Tile Style if You’d Like…

Hermetically sealed: nothing will be able to get past the Tile Style, be it liquids or solids.

Gold accents: if you’re looking to add a little flair to your Bluetooth tracker, the Tile Style is a great option.

Pick the Tile Sport if You’d Like…

Hermetically sealed: Like its sister, the Tile Sport is hermetically sealed with the highest possible IP rating of 68.

To learn more, check out our review of the Tile Style and Sport Combo Pack.

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Gabe Turner is an attorney and journalist with a passion for home tech and secure, efficient living. Since graduating from NYU Law, he has maintained a paradoxical existence of trying to live life adventurously while remaining staunchly risk-averse. He is torn by the dual desires of wanting to only be in Brooklyn writing about housing policy and smart home tech and aspiring to visit his friends scattered across the globe. Gabe believes that stable, safe communities are the cornerstone to a vibrant and healthy society, and it is this passion that brought him to contribute to Security Baron.